Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the member for Prince George—Peace River on a great speech. He is absolutely right, in terms of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister who is in the Chamber.
The point I want to make is simply this. It brings out the worst in members of parliament when they are not allowed to vote freely on an issue which rests solely on the conscience of the member. I want to remind the Canadian people, and I know the member for Prince George—Peace River knows this, that the parliamentary secretary when he was a member of the health committee in 1993 wrote a dissenting report recommending that an inquiry into the tainted blood scandal be launched. That was done. Justice Krever has reported and now the parliamentary secretary is denying the very thing he supported.
I guess in the real world we would call that swallowing yourself whole. The parliamentary secretary swallowed himself whole on this one. Unfortunately that is because the Prime Minister is holding the big stick over him because he happens to be the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada. Sadly, there are only about two of them who showed up today to debate this: the parliamentary secretary to the health minister, who is waving the big stick over him, and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.
I would like the member for Prince George—Peace River to comment on the presence of these two and the outrageous defence of the indefensible. Perhaps the member could comment on that.